Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

1
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

• The ecological and economical scare.

2
The Cause

• On April 20th, a BP (British oil company) oil rig
  called the Deep Water Hudson was deep-sea
  drilling for oil (5,000 feet underwater) off the
  coast of Venice, Louisiana, and blew up, spilling
  thousands of tons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
• The Deep Water Hudson rig had been newly
  constructed due to a previous rig being dried up
  of its oil supply. This new rig was drilling
  deep into the Gulf to find oil.
• People are claiming the explosion is due to a
  poor cementing job, which resulted in natural gas
  combining with the oil underground to seep
  through cracks in the cement, climaxing in the
  explosion.
• (Another cause of oil spills other than rig
  explosions are ships carrying large amounts of
  oil colliding with an object, and therefore
  allowing tons of oil to leak from the ship into
  the water.)

3
Oil Spill Effect on Shores/Marshes

• The wetlands of Louisiana that have become target
  to the oil flow are covered in grasses called
  Spartina grass, with vast amounts of dead grass
  underwater. Called a big sponge, theres no
  way to wash oil out of a Spartina marsh it has
  to be self-cleansed over time.
• The oil hitting the marshes is not as toxic as it
  is extremely sticky. This however proves an
  issue because the oil could coat the grasses,
  killing them.
• If the marshes are wiped out, Louisianas
  fast-eroding coast will now be subject to the
  harsh ocean waves that the marshes previously
  acted as a natural barrier from.
• Rocks on the shore along with the shore itself
  are being covered in oil washed up by the waves,
  and it proves awful timing as wildlife such as
  birds and sea turtles are coming to the sandy
  beaches, along with the marshes, to reproduce.

4
Effects on Wildlife

• Oil is damaging for birds because it coats their
  feathers and destroys the natural chemistry that
  allows them to stay buoyant, along with keeping
  them warm and able to fly. When they preen and
  attempt to cleanse themselves of the oil on their
  feathers, the oil they can be swallowing will
  poison them.
• Dolphins, who must surface to breathe, are being
  poisoned from the inhalation of oil fumes.
• Tiny shrimps, just hatched and only a few
  millimeters long, will be swimming at the
  oil-covered ocean surface.
• Alligators, who are nearing nesting season, could
  be at risk of consuming oil as they feed.
• Fish swimming in ocean areas engulfed in oil are
  being covered with and poisoned by the oil.
• It is hatching and raising season for many
  animal species that reside in the Gulf of Mexico.
  Doing so could be a risk to bringing sensitive
  young animals in contact with toxic oil, along
  with the risk of the parents diving into oily
  water searching for food.

5
Effect on the Economy

• Louisiana produces 10 of all seafood that is
  sold throughout the United States. Fish, shrimp,
  and other commonly consumed seafood have not been
  as abundant as prior to the spill many have been
  killed by the toxic oil.
• The above issue proves an issue for people, such
  as those who live around the bayous, because
  their income relies on them catching and selling
  seafood. With the oil closing in on bayou areas
  (that are abundant with marine wildlife/seafood),
  many fear unemployment and a drastic slope
  involving income.
• Due to the oil spill, about 25 of fishing areas
  in the Gulf of Mexico have been temporarily
  placed off limits for fishing, in efforts to
  conserve what is left of the marine wildlife,
  along with ensuring that no contaminated seafood
  is sold. This, of course, therefore hinders the
  fishing economy.

6
Oil is Spreading Fast
7
What is Being Proposed/What Can Be Done to
Prevent Oil Spills

• Recently BP has been attempting to send
  sea-robots 5,000 feet underwater to engage the
  blowout preventer and turn off the flow
  however, the blowout preventer is failing to
  operate properly.
• Another suggested solution is to drill a second
  well that will intercept the original well and
  inject a special heavy fluid that would hopefully
  cut off the flow of oil. This however can take
  several months to construct.
• Yet another possibility is designing an
  underwater collection device shaped like a dome
  that would trap the oil as is came out, and then
  funnel it for collection. It is being created
  now, but success is unknown these collection
  devices have only been used in shallow water
  previous to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
• Deploy floating barriers to trap oil.
• Spray chemical dispersants on the oil on the
  waters surface to break it down however these
  chemicals have been proven to be a possible
  threat to marine wildlife.
• A common approach is burning oil that lies on the
  surface. Since water is polar and lipids and
  oils are non-polar, the oil lays on the ocean
  surface, separated from the water. It is due to
  this that burning oil off the surface of the
  water is possible.

8
Our Solution

• Have a dome constructed around the oil rig so
  that the oil that escapes is contained and cannot
  spread this oil can then be funneled and
  collected.
• While the dome is being constructed, we have to
  find another way to control the oil that has and
  currently is escaping from the rig. One of the
  main concerns is that the oil has dispersed
  throughout large areas and appears unavoidable
  for marine life. Instead of spraying harmful
  chemicals that attempt to disperse the oil
  further, we could have chemists create a
  non-polar substance that would attract/cause the
  oil to condense, and therefore be in isolated
  areas rather than spread out in the ocean.
  Moreover, collection becomes more effective.
• The reason that vast amounts of drilling occur is
  because of the demand for oil/gasoline. In
  general, we can try to conserve gasoline by
  walking short distances rather than driving. If
  we all participate in this effort the need for
  oil will be decreased, and therefore not as much
  drilling is required. Hopefully, rig explosions
  would then be less common.

9
Websites Used

• http//online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487035
  72504575214593564769072.html
• http//www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/
  2010/05/gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill_cause.html
• http//www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/30/long-ter
  m-effects-oil-spill-unclear/
• http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic
  le/2010/04/30/AR2010043001788_2.html?sidST2010043
  001050